Name of business: Elite Farm Supply

Type of business: Rancher, farmer and pet owner supply store

Location: 225 Lander Ave., Turlock

Hours: 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday

Contact information: 209-620-8775

Specialty: Poultry

History of business:

Armed with a knowledge of the industry derived from his own experiences, Modesto native Erik Rosales has opened up shop in Turlock, ready to provide the community with supplies for their pets and livestock at Elite Farm Supply.

Since opening in September, Elite Farm Supply has provided another shopping option for Turlock animal lovers in search of kibble for their dog, feed for their horses or even a new chicken to add to their coop. Rosales decided to branch out on his own and open the store after working with his father for the past several years at Rosales Feed and Supply in Ceres, he said, and settled on Turlock as the perfect location.

“It feels like more of a country town here. There are a lot of little farms,” Rosales said. “Even downtown there are a lot of houses, where everyone has cats or dogs or some sort of pet…we’re just trying to provide a service for all of those different people and, hopefully, do a good job.”

Elite Farm Supply caters to the average farmer, with plenty of feed, seed and care items for larger animals, as well as the common pet owner thanks to a wide variety of leashes, accessories and food for dogs and cats, mice and other goods for feeding reptiles and even a selection of smaller pets, like hamsters.

While Rosales considers himself an expert in nearly all of these areas, Elite Farm Supply’s true specialty is its poultry, he said, which offers customers a wide variety of chicken breeds to choose from for their own coops, as well as supplies to get any potential coops up and running, including the coops themselves, brooders, heat lamps and more. Come springtime, the shop will have baby chicks to choose from, he added, and any breeds that the store doesn’t have in stick can be ordered upon request.

Rosales said that he is constantly learning more about the feed industry when he can, talking with local veterinarians and farmers so that he’s always able to answer any questions from customers. It’s this personal time he puts into both knowing his business and customers that sets him apart from other, larger pet stores in town, he said. Being a family-owned business lets him not only communicate with his customers more efficiently, he said, but also allows the shop to be more lenient on its pricing.

“Here, it’s more one-on-one with the owner so you can usually get a better price with us,” he said. “Coming from a background of raising farm animals, I also think it’s always better to have someone that knows what they’re talking about.

“We have a good idea of what people need, so we can show them what to use and what will work for them, instead of just thinking something might work.”